Podcasts about community legal services

In episode 53 of Law in the Family, host Alex Bondy speaks with Sarah Katz about child abuse investigations and their impact on custody litigation. With the passing of Kayden's Law, child abuse claims are increasingly relevant in custody practice. Sarah tells us what to look for, and gives some practice tips, when faced with this issue.Sarah Katz is a Clinical Professor of Law at Temple University Beasley School of Law and a current Senior Fellow with the Stoneleigh Foundation. She directs and teaches the newly created Family Justice Clinic at Temple Law, which advocates in partnership and solidarity with families whose family stability and integrity have been impacted by state intervention. Prior to her arrival at Temple, Katz was a supervising attorney in the Family Advocacy Unit at Community Legal Services in Philadelphia, Pa, where her responsibilities included representation of parents in civil child abuse and neglect cases.Law in the Family host, Alex Bondy, is an associate at Hofstein Meyer Rocco Finger & Weiner, P.C. in Philadelphia.*audio editing, voice over & music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Nick DeMatteo

In this timely roundtable, Lisa and Hemma sit down with Mary Inman and Liz Soltan, two powerhouse advocates in the whistleblower legal space, to unpack the DOJ's newly revised Corporate Whistleblower Awards (CWA) Pilot Program and its implications for the compliance community.  We also explore what makes whistleblowing work, how to support internal and external reporters, and why this moment may mark a turning point for global whistleblower engagement. Highlights: Mary and Liz break down the newly added DOJ priority areas How the CWA Pilot Program could evolve into a DOJ equivalent of the SEC whistleblower program Why organizational justice and psychological safety must be embedded into internal reporting systems. How tips must result in asset forfeiture to trigger awards Why we need a speak-up culture, not just a hotline Resources  DOJ's May 2025 Criminal Division White-Collar Enforcement Plan Revised DOJ Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program: DOJ Announcement Speech by Matthew R. Galeotti at the SIFMA AML and Financial Crimes Conference Link to speech Whistleblowing Study by Stephen Stubbens and Kyle Welch Whistleblower Partners LLP: Mary Inman, Liz Soltan Biographies   Mary Inman Partner, Whistleblower Partners LLP Mary Inman is a seasoned attorney with over 30 years of experience representing whistleblowers under various U.S. programs, including the False Claims Act, SEC, CFTC, IRS, FinCEN, and NHTSA/DOT. After spending three years in London, she now focuses on international whistleblowers exposing misconduct with ties to the U.S.. She assists clients in bringing claims to foreign regulators such as the Ontario Securities Commission and the Canada Revenue Agency. Mary is renowned for her expertise in healthcare, tech, and financial services fraud. She has represented high-profile whistleblowers like Frances Haugen (Facebook) and Tyler Shultz (Theranos), and co-authored The Tech Workers' Handbook, a guide for tech industry whistleblowers. Her advocacy extends to testifying before global governmental bodies, including the European Commission and UK Parliament, championing the effectiveness of U.S. whistleblower programs. Mary holds a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and has clerked for judges in both the U.S. District Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals. Outside of her legal work, she enjoys participating in her husband's YouTube channel and spending time in northern Maine. Liz Soltan Associate, Whistleblower Partners LLP Liz Soltan is an associate at Whistleblower Partners LLP, focusing on cases involving financial fraud, anti-money laundering, and sanctions evasion. Her notable work includes representing a foreign whistleblower in a FinCEN sanctions violation case concerning illegal sales to Russia. Liz also contributed to the landmark Medicare Advantage risk adjustment fraud case, United States ex rel. Poehling v. UnitedHealth Group, Inc. Before joining Whistleblower Partners, Liz served as a Skadden Fellow at Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, where she was part of a team that secured $712 million in emergency food stamp benefits for 650,000 households during the COVID-19 pandemic. She earned her J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School, where she led the Wage and Hour Practice Group at the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau and successfully argued a workers' rights case before Massachusetts' highest court. Liz completed her undergraduate studies at Cornell University, graduating summa cum laude with a major in History and a minor in Spanish. Residing in Brooklyn, Liz maintains strong ties to her Philadelphia roots. She enjoys participating in a fiction-only book club, exploring historical sites, and spending time with her husband, son, and their two cats, Alex Trebek and Vanna White.

Everyone makes mistakes, especially in their youth. If a mistake lands you in prison or convicted of a crime, it can haunt you for the rest of your life - but many people are fighting to turn their lives around after a conviction. As a returning citizen, Shuja Moore started a nonprofit called Do Moore Good to help others on the reentry path and to encourage youth to achieve their full potential. He recently made a documentary called “Pardon Me” about the process and significance of getting pardoned. Host Racquel Williams talks with Shuja and two women who have been through the pardon process to reclaim their names and build better lives. You can find help getting a pardon and other legal resources through Community Legal Services. Then, on Shara in the City, Black Dragon Takeout in West Philly has been getting a ton of buzz for its fusion of soul food with the aesthetics of Chinese takeout. Shara Dae Howard stops by to hear how this idea formed, and to decide if their wings live up to the hype. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, we have the privilege of hosting not one, not two, but three guests! We speak with Jim Mason, the president of the Home School Legal Defense Association, Kathleen Creamer, the managing attorney at Community Legal Services' Family Advocacy Unit, and Martin Guggenheim, the founder and retired co-director of New York University School of Law's Family Defense Clinic.These longtime experts in their fields spend some time with us today discussing best practices for parents and important things to know if CPS shows up at your family's door.The EPPiC Broadcast is hosted by Michael Ramey, president of the Parental Rights Foundation. You can sign up for email alerts to keep yourself informed on parental rights news at https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/get-involved/.Support the show

Florida recently restored the right to vote to over a million individuals who have served time for felony criminal convictions, but thousands in the state are still disenfranchised due to court fees and other hurdles. Hear from lawyers involved in voting rights restoration — as well as a client looking forward to voting — about the long and complex effort to advocate for full participation in democracy, and how pro bono has made a difference. Host Alicia Aiken speaks with Lena Hopkins of Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida, Desmond Meade of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, Raymond A. Traendly of TK Law, and client Wayne Wilson for this timely episode. Related Links: Voting Rights Restoration Efforts in Florida: A summary of current felony disenfranchisement policies and legislative advocacy in Florida

I'm super excited to bring you the first ever (but not the last) Ask Me Anything episode. We put out a call for questions and you all came through. We received more questions than we could get to in one episode. We also asked the Proximity Podcast Club if someone wanted to guest host. Again, lots of interest but there could only be one host. Kathleen Creamer is a parent defense attorney but has a real talent for hosting. Maybe she'll have her own show soon. Kathleen curated your questions, and we covered ground from why I started the show, what I hope to accomplish, who inspires me, and what gives me hope. Of course, we ended with our two questions, what does proximity mean to me and what advice do I have for the listeners. I hope you enjoy this episode! For more information about Kathleen and her work please visit Community Legal Services of Philadelphia. Community Legal Services You are invited to join the Proximity Podcast Club, a growing community of people supporting one another through their process of becoming who they want to be in this work. We meet every Monday morning at 9am est. Message me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn for the meeting link.Please connect with me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn - Matt Anderson | LinkedIn

This week, Kathleen Creamer is returning to the EPPiC Broadcast. Kathleen is the managing attorney of the Family Advocacy Unit at Community Legal Services in Philadelphia. This week, Kathleen gives us an overview of many topics under discussions at the ABA Center on Children and the Law's recent National Conference on Parent Representation, which featured panels from many of the top scholars, lawyers, and authors in the world of child welfare reform. Support the Show.

Since the pandemic began, there has been significant efforts by advocates to create better laws and regulations to protect nursing home residents. The pandemic and its devastating impact on nursing home residents has resulted in many states passing new laws or creating new regulations regarding a variety of areas, including staffing, transparency, and the nursing home workforce. On this episode, you will hear from two advocates that have been successful in getting new laws and regulations passed and promulgated. Tony Chicotel, Senior Staff Attorney at California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform and Pam Walz, Supervising Attorney at Community Legal Services in Philadelphia, will discuss recent legislative and regulatory victories and how they helped ensure they were implemented.

In this week's journal episode, I talk about a simple practice that I have used throughout my career to remain curious, adaptable, and in service of people. This is something that you can start doing today. This practice has helped me avoid falling into status quo and one I've observed it do the same for other leaders. The practice is to listen to people's experiences, learn from and trust their expertise, and take action together. I share some of my own experiences of how this practice has helped guide my work. I also mention a number of leaders who I really respect and continue to learn from about how they practice deep listening, learning, and action. I'll include their names and LinkedIn pages below as they are great people to have in your network.  Cherie Craft, Smart from the Start - Cherie Craft | LinkedInKatie Albright, Safe and Sound - Katie Albright | LinkedInJoyce McMillan, JMacforFamilies - Joyce McMillan | LinkedInMelody Webb, Mother's Outreach Network - Melody Webb | LinkedInSarah Winograd, Together With Families - Sarah Winograd-Babayeuski | LinkedInYou are invited to join the Proximity Podcast Club, a growing community of people supporting one another through their process of becoming who they want to be in this work. We meet every Monday morning at 9am est. Message me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn for the meeting link.Please connect with me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn - Matt Anderson | LinkedIn

I remember learning about the 2020 Vision in 2007 when I started working in child welfare. It was a new national initiative with the goal of reducing the number of kids in foster care by 50% by the year 2020. I was working with kids aging out and watching the impact of growing up in foster care play out in front of my eyes. I remember being inspired by this initiative and hopeful about its impact. Today's guest is Susan Smith who led the data team at Casey Family Programs for 16 years and was responsible for tracking and reporting on the initiative's progress. As we know, the initiative did not ultimately succeed. Susan and I use the 2020 Vision as a jumping off point to a conversation about what we can learn from the successes and failures of past initiatives. There are a number of national initiatives right now with bold ambitions. What can history teach us about solving and measuring the right problems. You are invited to join the Proximity Podcast Club, a growing community of people supporting one another through their process of becoming who they want to be in this work. We meet every Monday morning at 9am est. Message me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn for the meeting link.Please connect with me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn - Matt Anderson | LinkedIn

This week's episode is a journal entry that was prompted by the Proximity Podcast Club conversation. We were talking about a question posed to the group by Corey Best, who am I without the family policing system? This immediately got me thinking about a few fundamental questions that I talk about in this episode. What did the system provide me? What did the system cost me? Where does my security actually come from?  Is there wisdom gained from sitting in the ambiguity that we wrestle with in this work? What would we imagine and create if we were unconstrained from trying to reform or improve the system? These are big questions that we can't answer on one podcast episode (or many) but they are good prompts for us to work with over time. I hope you find them helpful in your own journaling practice. You are invited to join the Proximity Podcast Club, a growing community of people supporting one another through their process of becoming who they want to be in this work. We meet every Monday morning at 9am est. Message me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn for the meeting link.Please connect with me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn - Matt Anderson | LinkedIn

Today's episode is a conversation with Kathleen Creamer that you don't want to miss. Kathleen is the Managing Attorney at Community Legal Services of Philadelphia where she and her team use a holistic family defense model to help parents maintain custody of or reunite with their children. We center the conversation on the necessity of Termination of Parental Rights (TPR) as well as the constitutionality and morality of TPR. We also weave in some of the history of how these policies came to be and the mindsets that underpin them.  One of the questions we leave on the table is what if TPR no longer existed, what opportunities would that create to pursue justice? If you want to learn more about Kathleen and her work, you can visit Community Legal Services. Kathleen references the work and writing of professor, author, and activist Dorothy Roberts. You can learn more about her work at Dorothy Roberts.You are invited to join the Proximity Podcast Club, a growing community of people supporting one another through their process of becoming who they want to be in this work. We meet every Monday morning at 9am est. Message me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn for the meeting link.Please connect with me, Matt Anderson, on LinkedIn - Matt Anderson | LinkedIn

On today's show, I welcome Steve Oross and Lorrie McKinley to the show. Steve Oross is an Associate Professor of psychology at Kutztown University and as listeners of this show will recall, in Fall 2021 Steve Oross was denied ADA accommodations by Kutztown University's administration. Oross had a heart transplant in February 2021. Following months of physical therapy and treatment, his doctors cleared him to return to work in Fall 2021 provided that he taught his classes online given that COVID was still rampant and would pose a significant risk to his life. Rather than providing Oross with accommodations, the administration said the only way they would allow him to return to work would be if he taught in-person. Rather than risk his life or being forced to go on unpaid leave pr losing his job, Oross decided to fight. Thanks to his determination and the amazing advocacy of his attorney, Lorrie McKinley, Oross won his case. Steve's experience has led him to wider spheres of advocacy as well. Steve is a Team Member with the World Health Network focusing on Legal Action for Policy Change. He has also become involved in the Organ Donation Awareness Corporation which is a student-led organ donation advocacy group with chapters in NYC and Nashville, Tennessee, involving other students from around the country. He will be participating in a series of webinars with this group focused on promoting organ donation among young adults. Lorrie McKinley, is one of the few lawyers in the Philadelphia area with undisputed expertise in both employment law and special education advocacy and litigation. She is a passionate, bold and creative advocate with a long track record of protecting the civil rights of employees and students under the nation's civil rights law at every level of the state and federal courts. Lorrie is widely recognized for her contributions in the employment provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act as well as her advocacy on behalf of children with special needs. Prior to entering private practice in 1997, Lorrie served as Project Head for the Employment Law Project at Community Legal Services, Inc. in Philadelphia. In 1997 she argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in a case involving constitutional due process issues for people receiving medical benefits pursuant to the Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Act. Her work in that case is highlighted in an exhibit in the Supreme Court Section of the United States Constitution Center in Philadelphia. For over a decade, Lorrie has been selected by her peers as one of the “Best Lawyers in America.” Since 2008, she has also been listed as a “Super Lawyer” by Thompsons Reuters based on peer recognition and professional achievement. LINKS: Oross v. Kutztown University | https://casetext.com/case/oross-v-kutztown-univ McKinley & Ryan, LLC | https://www.mckinleyryan.com/ "Kutztown professor with heart transplant should have been able to teach from home, judge says," Susan Snyder, The Phildadelphia Inquirer | https://bit.ly/49PcBNL Out d'Coup LIVE | Steve Oross - Kutztown U Demands Faculty Member to Choose Between Life and Livelihood, Sept. 6, 2021 | https://bit.ly/3h9EuqZ Disability Rights PA | https://www.disabilityrightspa.org/ If we want a progressive future, we need progressive media. Support pull-no-punches, homegrown progressive media today by becoming a patron of Raging Chicken for as little as $5/month. Simply go to https://www.patreon.com/rcpress. Help keep the media in the movement and the movement in the media. Become a patron for as little as $5/month by going to https://www.patreon.com/rcpress. Join our Discord to continue the conversation all week long: https://discord.gg/BnjRNz3u  

In this episode, Torn Apart shows that the child welfare system was designed from its beginning to oppress marginalized communities.  The episode explores how the child welfare system's roots in slavery, settler colonialism, and white supremacy, taking listeners on a journey to the separation of enslaved children from their mothers on plantations and the return of freed Black children to former enslavers as court-ordered apprentices.  It uncovers how over time, the child welfare system went from neglecting Black  children to over policing, surveilling, separating and punishing Black families.Meet Dorothy Roberts:Dorothy Roberts is a distinguished professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Founding Director of its Program on Race, Science & Society.  An internationally acclaimed scholar, public intellectual, and social justice activist, she is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, American Philosophical Society, and National Academy of Medicine.  She is the author of the award-winning Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty ; Shattered Bonds: The Color of Child Welfare; and Fatal Invention: How Science, Politics, and Big Business Re-create Race in the Twenty-First Century , as well as more than 100 articles and book chapters, including “Race” in the 1619 Project. Her latest book, Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families—And How Abolition Can Build a Safer World , culminates more than two decades of investigating family policing, calling for a radically reimagined way to support children and families. With Guests:·         Laura Briggs is an expert on U.S. and international child welfare policy and  transnational and transracial adoption. She is a professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.  Briggs' latest book, Taking Children: A History of American Terror, examines the 400-year-old history of state removal of children from marginalized communities—from the taking of Black and Native children during America's founding to Donald Trump's policy of family separation targeting asylum seekers. ·         Daniel Hatcher is a professor at University of Baltimore School of Law and author of The Poverty Industry: The Exploitation of America's Most Vulnerable Citizens and Injustice, Inc: How America's Justice Style Commodifies Children and the Poor. His scholarship reveals how state agencies commodify vulnerable populations they exist to serve, often with the assistance of private contractors—violating ethics, laws, constitutional requirements, and agency purpose.  ·         Kelley Fong is an assistant professor of sociology at UC Irvine whose work focuses on state intervention into motherhood and families. Her first book,  Investigating Families: Motherhood in the Shadow of Child Protective Services, was published with Princeton University Press in 2023.·         Kathleen Creamer is the Managing Attorney of the Family Advocacy Unit at Community Legal Services, which uses a holistic family defense model to help parents involved with the child welfare system maintain custody of or reunite with their children in Philadelphia. Ms. Creamer led the coalition that developed and lobbied for the successful passage of the 2010 Healthy Birth for Incarcerated Women Act, which curtailed the practice of shackling incarcerated women during childbirth in Pennsylvania's jails and prisons.

In this episode, Professor Dorothy Roberts opens Torn Apart with a first-hand account from a young Black mother, Vanessa Peoples, who became the subject of a government child welfare investigation when a stranger accused Peoples of neglecting her young son who had wandered away from her briefly in a park.  Professor Roberts brings the listeners through the horrors that the child welfare system inflicts on families by invading homes, targeting low-income families, and threatening to separate parents and children.  With the help of guest experts, Professor Roberts argues that the family policing system is designed to terrorize low-income, majority Black families.Check out this episode's landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.Meet Dorothy RobertsDorothy Roberts is a distinguished professor of Africana Studies, Law, and Sociology atUniversity of Pennsylvania. An elected member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences,  American Philosophical Society, and National Academy of Medicine, she is author of the best selling book on reproductive justice, Killing the Black Body. Her latest book, Torn Apart, won the 2023 American Sociological Association Distinguished Scholarly Book Award Honorable Mention, was a finalist for an LA Times Book Prize and C. Wright Mills Award, and was shortlisted for the Goddard Riverside Stephan Russo Book Prize for Social Justice.With Guests:Vanessa Peoples is a young Black mother from Aurora, Colorado, who was targeted in 2017 by child protective services and forced to plead guilty to endangering her child, despite no evidence that she endangered her child.Kathleen Creamer is the Managing Attorney of the Family Advocacy Unit at Community Legal Services, which uses a holistic family defense model to help parents involved with the child welfare system maintain custody of or reunite with their children in Philadelphia. In addition to individual representation of parents in dependency court, Ms. Creamer has focused much of her advocacy on supporting incarcerated parents and their families.  From 2011-2013, she served as a Stoneleigh Foundation Fellow dedicated to Improving Reunification Outcomes for Children of Incarcerated Parents. Ms. Creamer also led the coalition that developed and lobbied for the successful passage of the 2010 Healthy Birth for Incarcerated Women Act, which curtailed the practice of shackling incarcerated women during childbirth in Pennsylvania's jails and prisons.Kelley Fong is an assistant professor of sociology at UC Irvine whose work focuses on state intervention into motherhood and families. Her first book,  Investigating Families: Motherhood in the Shadow of Child Protective Services, was published with Princeton University Press in 2023.Background Reading- Fostering tragedy: Experts say system designed to protect children can break up families- One in Ten Black Children in America Are Separated From Their Parents by the Child-Welfare System. A New Book Argues That's No Accident- Benevolent Terror: Dorothy E. Roberts on Reimagining the Child Welfare System

For this week's episode of Off-Kilter, Rebecca sat down with Jen Burdick, supervising attorney of the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) unit at Community Legal Services (CLS), Rebecca's legal aid alma mater. They had a far ranging conversation about how “eligibility doesn't equal access” and other lessons Jen has learned throughout her years as a public benefits lawyer; the human consequences of a decade-plus of defunding the Social Security Administration, from years-long backlogs in disability cases to overpayments that wreak havoc in beneficiaries' lives; how Jen combines her client representation with policy advocacy and why the perspective of direct service providers like legal aid lawyers is so valuable to shaping public policy and legislative reform; how outdated policies like outdated asset limits lead to inhumane surveillance of poor people's finances; the toxicity of the collective limiting belief that poor families aren't to be trusted with their own money, and how that shows up in the SSI program, through “dedicated accounts” that restrict how families are able to spend their benefits; and lots more.   Links from this episode: Follow Jen and CLS on Twitter/X: @jen_burdick @clsphila and learn more about CLS's work at clsphila.org Here's the Kaiser Health News story on needless SSI overpayments and how they wreak havoc in low-income beneficiaries' lives For more on the disinvestment in SSA's administrative budget, check out this Off-Kilter episode And for more on how eligibility doesn't equal access in public assistance programs, here's the prior Off-Kilter episode that Jen was featured in

On Tuesday morning the Bush Foundation announced its 2023 Bush Fellows. They are 24 community leaders from Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and 23 Native nations who will be eligible to receive a flexible grant up to $100,000 to pursue education. Their work stands to have a profound ripple effect across the region in the areas of mental health, community storytelling, food accessibility, and much more. MPR News guest host Emily Bright spoke with just one—her name is Nadine Graves. She's been a Hennepin County Public Defender and is Deputy Director, of Community Legal Services at the Legal Rights Center. She is especially passionate about using storytelling to shift concepts of justice. Her own trauma-filled youth led to a criminal record at a young age. Now, she's interested in undoing the dehumanization she felt from the criminal justice system.

We met Zakya Hall during the COVID scramble to keep nonprofits alive and active during the lockdown when she was working to keep services flowing in Philadelphia neighborhoods at PACDC. We asked her to tell a story at MISSION Story Slam 6 and she told a great one about life in her Strawberry Mansion neighborhood winning the Crowd Favorite Award. Over one year later we wrangled an interview with Zakya about her story and her new work at Community Legal Services of Philadelphia on the MISSION Story Slam Podcast.

Erika K. Wilson is fighting back against racialized violence in civil courts! In Part Two of our conversation, she shares how she's putting critical race theory into practice at UNC's Critical Race Lawyering Clinic, why representing Black and Brown people is not the same as working through a race equity lens, and what happens when her clients push back against anti-blackness. Altogether, Professor Wilson demonstrates that the law cannot be at the center of dismantling white supremacy. If you haven't already, listen to Part One of Kee's conversation with Professor Wilson on the legal foundations of white supremacy. Guest: Erika K. Wilson (@Erika_K_Wilson) is a Professor of Law, the Wade Edwards Distinguished Scholar and Thomas Willis Lambeth Distinguished Chair in Public Policy at the UNC School of Law. She directs the Critical Race Lawyering Clinic.If you enjoy this show and want to help fight poverty and injustice, consider making a donation to Community Legal Services today! You can also follow us on Twitter @CLSphila to stay connected.How Is That Legal is a podcast from Community Legal Services of Philadelphia and Rowhome Productions. Jake Nussbaum is our Producer and Editor. Executive Producers are Alex Lewis and John Myers. Special thanks to Caitlin Nagel, Zakya Hall, and Farwa Zaidi. Music provided by Blue Dot Sessions.Support the show

Keeping kids safe is one of our greatest responsibilities as adults. But what if the main tool we use to protect children is actually preventing everyone from getting the resources they need? Every state in the nation has mandatory reporting laws that require professions such as teachers, coaches, nurses, and more to report any suspected or observed instances of child abuse to the state. While this sounds logical, its application has effectively made a surveillance apparatus out of educators, health care, and social workers, which leaves the families most in need of help afraid to ask for it, at the risk of opening an investigation.    The pitfalls of mandatory reporting are especially evident in Pennsylvania. In the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, Pennsylvania lawmakers passed sweeping reforms expanding mandatory reporting and the definition of child abuse to include low-level neglectful circumstances that often arise from poverty. Since reforms were implemented in 2014, reports have skyrocketed, but recent studies have shown that this increase has not turned up any additional victims of child abuse but has rather over-stretched the system. Within the first five years of the reforms, one million calls were made to the state's child abuse hotline. 800,000 regarded low-level neglect allegations stemming from poverty, and nine in ten were dismissed following traumatic housing searches and family questioning that disproportionately target Black and brown families.  
Here to help explain the mandatory reporting system and its consequences are Director of Client Voice at Philadelphia's Community Legal Services, April Lee, who experienced firsthand how mandatory reporting can traumatize families, and Anjana Samant, Senior Staff Attorney at the ACLU's Women's Rights Project

Professor Erika K. Wilson lays out the legal foundations of white supremacy, breaking down how the law has distributed power and resources in favor of white people over everyone else. Plus, she brings the receipts to prove it! If you've ever wondered how systemic racism has persisted after the courts struck down Black Codes and Jim Crow laws, this is a conversation you don't want to miss.This episode is part I of the conversation with Professor Wilson. In part II, you'll learn how civil courts produce racialized violence and how Professor Wilson's Critical Race Lawyering Clinic applies critical race theory to legal aid. Guest:Erika K. Wilson (@Erika_K_Wilson) is a Professor of Law, the Wade Edwards Distinguished Scholar and Thomas Willis Lambeth Distinguished Chair in Public Policy at the UNC School of Law. She also directs the Critical Race Lawyering Clinic at UNC.If you enjoy this show and want to help fight poverty and injustice, consider making a donation to Community Legal Services today! You can also follow us on Twitter @CLSphila to stay connected.How Is That Legal is a podcast from Community Legal Services of Philadelphia and Rowhome Productions. Jake Nussbaum is our Producer and Editor. Executive Producers are Alex Lewis and John Myers. Special thanks to Caitlin Nagel, Zakya Hall, and Farwa Zaidi. Music provided by Blue Dot Sessions.Support the show

Welcome to Pennsylvania's ChildLine Registry… where parents can be labeled as child abusers for life with no right to a hearing. In 2004, Angela West and six coworkers were placed on the ChildLine Registry after a child at their job developed unexplained bruising. Ms. West fought to clear her name for 18 years before finally winning her appeal, but she could not get living wage jobs in her field or volunteer at her grandchildren's schools during that time. Angela West and CLS Attorney Tracie Johnson discuss the racialized harm of Pennsylvania's ChildLine Registry and imagine better ways to protect children from abuse and neglect. Trigger Warning:  This conversation pertains to the topic of child abuse, and may not be appropriate for young people.Guests: Tracie Johnson is the lead Staff Attorney for the Youth Justice Project at Community Legal Services where she connects young people ages 16-24 to free legal help with criminal records, public benefits, housing, debt, and their families.Angela West works in direct support for men and women with mental health challenges. As an advocate, Ms. West is the lead petitioner in CLS's ChildLine Registry lawsuit A.W. v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. If you enjoy this show and want to help fight poverty and injustice, consider making a donation to Community Legal Services today! You can also follow us on Twitter @CLSphila to stay connected.How Is That Legal is a podcast from Community Legal Services of Philadelphia and Rowhome Productions. Jake Nussbaum is our Producer and Editor. Executive Producers are Alex Lewis and John Myers. Special thanks to Caitlin Nagel, Zakya Hall, and Farwa Zaidi. Music provided by Blue Dot Sessions.Support the show

Nearly 5 million people living in Appalachia are Black and Brown,  but Appalachians have been reduced to stereotypes of white coal miners in the mainstream media. Attorney Loree Stark breaks down what's really going on in Appalachia, including how systemic inequity, exploitation of the labor force, disability, housing instability, and predatory lending all intersect in this unique part of the country. Loree then shares how mutual aid groups and others in the community are building coalitions and sharing stories to make change.Guest: Loree Stark (@loreestark), is a Staff Attorney at the Human Rights Defense Center. Prior to joining HRDC, she worked for the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia, Mountain State Justice, and the Appalachian Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky. If you enjoy this show and want to help fight poverty and injustice, consider making a donation to Community Legal Services today! You can also follow us on Twitter @CLSphila to stay connected.How Is That Legal is a podcast from Community Legal Services of Philadelphia and Rowhome Productions. Jake Nussbaum is our Producer and Editor. Executive Producers are Alex Lewis and John Myers. Special thanks to Caitlin Nagel, Zakya Hall, and Farwa Zaidi. Music provided by Blue Dot Sessions.Support the show

Educators can legally hit students at school in 19 states, but school-based violence is forcing young people with marginalized identities out of school everywhere. Ashley Sawyer joins us to discuss the legacy of racial discrimination in education policy and systems of school-based violence. She lays out how the school-to-prison pipeline, pushout, sexual harassment, and corporal punishment force young people with marginalized identities out of school, and she calls attention to the demands of Black and Latina girls who are organizing to create safe, healing, and supportive schools. Finally, Ashley urges policymakers to make radical investments in young people, schools, families, and communities to address the root causes of violence and harm. Trigger Warning: Ashley shares graphic stories about what's happening to young people in schools. This conversation also includes topics that may not be appropriate for young children.Guest: Ashley Sawyer (@ACSawyerJustice) is a Senior Staff Attorney on the Opportunity to Lead (Education) team at Advancement Project. Ashley's life work is situated where education and the criminal justice system collide, and she has previously served at Girls for Gender Equity, Youth Represent, and the Education Law Center. If you enjoy this show and want to help fight poverty and injustice, consider making a donation to Community Legal Services today! You can also follow us on Twitter @CLSphila to stay connected.How Is That Legal is a podcast from Community Legal Services of Philadelphia and Rowhome Productions. Jake Nussbaum is our Producer and Editor. Executive Producers are Alex Lewis and John Myers. Special thanks to Caitlin Nagel, Zakya Hall, and Farwa Zaidi. Music provided by Blue Dot Sessions.Support the show

Black families pay higher property taxes than white families each year, and these unfairly high bills are helping to force Black people out of cities. Montgomery Wilson breaks down in great detail how Black homeowners end up paying more than their white counterparts in property taxes and how tax assessments are systematically inaccurate in Black and low income communities. He also shares what cities can do to solve this massive injustice and keep people in their homes. After this interview, you'll never hear the words property tax assessment the same way again. Guest: Montgomery Wilson is a senior attorney with CLS's Consumer Housing Unit.  His practice focuses largely on municipal tax foreclosure & mortgage foreclosure defense in both state and federal court. He has also worked extensively with local community organizations and the City of Philadelphia to aid Philadelphia homeowners faced with real estate tax lien foreclosures. If you enjoy this show and want to help fight poverty and injustice, consider making a donation to Community Legal Services today! You can also follow us on Twitter @CLSphila to stay connected.How Is That Legal is a podcast from Community Legal Services of Philadelphia and Rowhome Productions. Jake Nussbaum is our Producer and Editor. Executive Producers are Alex Lewis and John Myers. Special thanks to Caitlin Nagel, Zakya Hall, and Farwa Zaidi. Music provided by Blue Dot Sessions.Support the show

One in four adults in the United States has a disability. Yet, disability is often an afterthought for policymakers. Lauren DeBruicker examines how disability and race intersect within the civil legal system and the impact of systemic racism on Black and Brown people with disabilities. Lauren also recounts the rich history of activism in the disability justice movement and what can be done to expand legal protections for disabled people.Guest: Lauren DeBruicker is an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. As the U.S. Attorney's Office's Deputy Civil Chief for Civil Rights, Lauren oversees the office's investigation and prosecution of violations of federal civil rights laws, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Housing Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Lauren is an active member of the disability community and an advocate for access and independent living in the region. If you enjoy this show and want to help fight poverty and injustice, consider making a donation to Community Legal Services today! You can also follow us on Twitter @CLSphila to stay connected.How Is That Legal is a podcast from Community Legal Services of Philadelphia and Rowhome Productions. Jake Nussbaum is our Producer and Editor. Executive Producers are Alex Lewis and John Myers. Special thanks to Caitlin Nagel, Zakya Hall, and Farwa Zaidi. Music provided by Blue Dot Sessions.Support the show

Sofia Ali-Khan breaks down the forced migration of Black and Brown people in every corner of this country. Her new book, A Good Country: My Life in Twelve Towns and the Devastating Battle for a White America, recounts government efforts to preserve a white center in each of the places she's lived, worked, and worshiped. Sofia also discusses her time as a legal aid attorney at Community Legal Services and why she believes that learning our true history is the very first step in achieving the change we seek. Guest: Sofia Ali-Khan (Sofia_alikhan) is a social justice lawyer turned writer. She has worked for Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, Prairie State Legal Services in Illinois, and the American Bar Association. Sofia's writing at the intersection of politics, race, history, and Muslim America has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Time, the Chicago Tribune, Tricycle Magazine, and on several other platforms.If you enjoy this show and want to help fight poverty and injustice, consider making a donation to Community Legal Services today! You can also follow us on Twitter @CLSphila to stay connected.How Is That Legal is a podcast from Community Legal Services of Philadelphia and Rowhome Productions. Jake Nussbaum is our Producer and Editor. Executive Producers are Alex Lewis and John Myers. Special thanks to Caitlin Nagel, Zakya Hall, and Farwa Zaidi. Music provided by Blue Dot Sessions.Support the show

Pennsylvania State Senator Nikil Saval breaks down why racism is the bedrock of America's housing system and how anti-Black attitudes led the federal government to neglect affordable housing for decades. Senator Saval illustrates how movements can build power through coalition-building and “making an ask,” and he explains how initiatives like a Homes Guarantee, Whole-Home Repairs, and eviction record sealing would help address racial inequity in housing.Guests: Nikil Saval (@SenatorSaval) represents Pennsylvania's first district in the State Senate. Prior to elected office, Senator Saval was an organizer with UNITE HERE and the Bernie Sanders campaign, as well as a journalist for the New York Times, The New Yorker, and n+1.If you enjoy this show and want to help fight poverty and injustice, consider making a donation to Community Legal Services today! You can also follow us on Twitter @CLSphila to stay connected.How Is That Legal is a podcast from Community Legal Services of Philadelphia and Rowhome Productions. Jake Nussbaum is our Producer and Editor. Executive Producers are Alex Lewis and John Myers. Special thanks to Caitlin Nagel, Zakya Hall, and Farwa Zaidi. Music provided by Blue Dot Sessions.Support the show

How Is That Legal is back and better than ever in Season 2! Kee Tobar, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer of Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, invites experts from a wide range of backgrounds to break down examples of systemic racism in the law and policy. By the end of each episode, you'll understand the forces behind everyday injustices that make us ask, “How in the world is that legal?” Airing weekly on Wednesdays wherever you get your podcasts.If you enjoy this show and want to help fight poverty and injustice, consider making a donation to Community Legal Services today! You can also follow us on all social media @CLSphila to stay connected.How Is that Legal is produced by Rowhome Productions. Jake Nussbaum is our Producer and Editor. Executive Producers are Alex Lewis and John Myers. Special thanks to Caitlin Nagel, Zakya Hall, and Farwa Zaidi. Music provided by Blue Dot Sessions.Support the show

On today's episode of The Confluence: Gov. Tom Wolf issued a record-breaking number of pardons during his tenure — 2,540 while in office — and we discuss the work being done to offer those who were incarcerated second chances; the Community College of Allegheny County got a funding increase from the county, we talk about what's on the horizon for the local institution following enrollment decreases; and we answer a listener's question about whose responsibility it is to maintain private roads in the city. Today's guests include: Sharon Dietrich, litigation director at Community Legal Services, Inc.; and Quintin Bullock, president of the Community College of Allegheny County.

In this podcast, we speak with Jeffrey Harvey (CEO, Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida/CLS) about his time in the Army and his transition to the legal arena. Jeffrey shares his backstory about his time in service and his transition back home. He speaks about his journey through law school and his becoming CEO of CLS. Jeff shares his leadership aha moments and some wisdom he attained in leadership. We cover some of his tips for new leaders and how he strategizes around times of change and challenges. To get a hold of Jeffrey: Website: https:www.clsmf.org Email: jeffh@clsmf.org Linkedin profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-d-harvey-esq This episode is sponsored by the Veterans Entrepreneurship Initiative (VEI) Website: https://vei.center LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/empowerveterans --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-leadership-void/support

Stand Up is a daily podcast that I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every day. Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of over 800 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous souls Check out StandUpwithPete.com to learn more Maura Quint  is a humor writer and activist whose work has been featured in publications such as McSweeneys and The New Yorker. She was named one of Rolling Stone's top 25 funniest twitter accounts of 2016. When not writing comedy, Maura has worked extensively with non-profits in diverse sectors including political action campaigns, international arts collectives and health and human services organizations. She has never been officially paid to protest but did once find fifteen cents on the ground at an immigrants' rights rally and wanted to make sure that had been disclosed. She was the co founder and executive director of TaxMarch.org  She is now the Wealth Tax Campaign Director at the Americans for Tax Fairness Rebecca Vallas is a senior fellow and co-director of The Century Foundation's Disability Economic Justice Collaborative, where she leads TCF's work to achieve economic justice for people with disabilities and their families. Vallas joins TCF after seven years at the Center for American Progress, during which she helped to build and lead CAP's Poverty to Prosperity Program, in a range of roles, including as the program's first policy director and managing director, and later as vice president. During her time at CAP, Vallas also helped to establish CAP's Disability Justice Initiative—the first disability policy project at a U.S. think tank—as well as the organization's criminal justice reform work. Listen to her podcast "Off Kilter"   Much of Vallas's policy and advocacy work flows from her years as a legal aid lawyer. In partnership with her legal aid alma mater, she co-developed the “clean slate” model of automated, automatic criminal record-clearing that is now law in Pennsylvania, Utah, Michigan, Connecticut, Delaware, Virginia, and advancing in additional states—while advancing national momentum for removing barriers to economic opportunity for justice-impacted individuals and families. In 2019, she co-founded the Clean Slate Initiative, a national organization supporting state efforts to adopt clean slate policies. Vallas previously served as the deputy director of government affairs for the National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives, working to protect and strengthen the Social Security disability programs, including as co-chair of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) Social Security Task Force. Forever a legal aid lawyer at heart, Vallas spent several years representing low-income individuals and families at Community Legal Services in Philadelphia, where she began her work as a Skadden Fellow, and was the inaugural recipient of the National Legal Aid and Defender Association's New Leaders in Advocacy Award. Vallas has authored dozens of policy reports on antipoverty policy, income security, disability policy, access to justice, and criminal records/reentry policy; testified before Congress and state legislatures on numerous occasions; and been cited and quoted in media outlets across the country. She is also the creator and host of Off-Kilter, a nationally distributed podcast about poverty, inequality, and everything they intersect with. Vallas serves on the Board of Directors of the National Academy of Social Insurance and is a member of the Academy's 2020–2021 Economic Security Study Panel. Vallas was twice named to Forbes magazine's “30 Under 30” for law and policy, and later to Emory University's “40 Under 40.” She received her law degree from the University of Virginia and graduated summa cum laude from Emory University, where she received a bachelor's degree in psychology. In a past life, she was an operatically trained mezzo soprano. She's the proud mother of three rescue kitties. Check out all things Jon Carroll Follow and Support Pete Coe Pete on YouTube Pete on Twitter Pete On Instagram Pete Personal FB page

This week, we talk with Jamie Gullen. Jamie is the Managing Attorney of the Employment Unit and Youth Justice Project at Community Legal Services in Philadelphia. On August 10th, Community Legal Services filed a lawsuit against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania over Pennsylvania's state child abuse registry. When child abuse investigations are opened, parents are automatically placed on the registry, regardless of whether they have actually been convicted of child abuse. Jamie is the lead attorney on the lawsuit, and today she explains how Pennsylvania's child abuse registry violates due process for parents. You can learn more about Jamie's work here. Support the show

In this special episode of How Is That Legal, Kee invites her friend and CLS colleague Tracie Johnson to reflect on lessons learned this season and what else needs to be explored next season. Kee and Tracie both share shocking stories that made them ask, “How in the world is that legal?” and talk about the importance of centering people who are impacted by inequity when creating solutions. See you next season!Guest: Tracie Johnson is the lead staff attorney for the Youth Justice Project at Community Legal Services. She now works to create career pathways for women and girls of color who face barriers to employment and higher education because of their juvenile and adult criminal records.If you enjoy this show and want to help fight poverty and injustice, consider making a donation to Community Legal Services today! You can also follow us on Twitter @CLSphila to stay connected.How Is That Legal is a podcast from Community Legal Services of Philadelphia and Rowhome Productions. Jake Nussbaum is our Producer and Editor. Executive Producers are Alex Lewis and John Myers. Special thanks to Caitlin Nagel, Zakya Hall, and Molly Pollak. Music provided by Blue Dot Sessions.Support the show

None of us can afford climate change, but the costs are even higher for Black and Brown people and communities, especially for those who can't afford heating or cooling. As the planet gets hotter, we must address climate change while also making sure that people can afford to keep their homes comfortable.  It's not too late, but if we don't act soon, we will pay one way or another. Bishop Dwayne Royster and Kintéshia Scott explain why environment vs. energy affordability is a false narrative, how systems of injustice are interconnected, and what we must do to make sure no one gets left behind in the transition to renewable energy. Guests: Bishop Dwayne Royster (@ddroyster) is the Executive Director of POWER, an interfaith coalition of activists, organizers and community advocates in Pennsylvania in their commitment to racial and economic justice on a livable planet. As a pastor, political activist, and radio show host, Bishop Royster's work is fueled by deep faith and passionate commitment to bringing about social justice. Kintéshia Scott (@KinteshiaScott) is a Staff Attorney in the Energy Unit at Community Legal Services. Kintéshia advocates for low-income Philadelphians to have access to affordable water, heat, and electricity in their homes through direct legal representation and policy advocacy.If you enjoy this show and want to help fight poverty and injustice, consider making a donation to Community Legal Services today! You can also follow us on Twitter @CLSphila to stay connected.How Is That Legal is a podcast from Community Legal Services of Philadelphia and Rowhome Productions. Jake Nussbaum is our Producer and Editor. Executive Producers are Alex Lewis and John Myers. Special thanks to Caitlin Nagel, Zakya Hall, and Molly Pollak. Music provided by Blue Dot Sessions.Support the show

Welcome to America…. where low-income families risk losing their homes if a loved one lives in a nursing home or needs help with personal care at home. That's right. If a Medicaid patient receives long-term care, the state can recover costs from their estate after they pass away. Stephanie Altman from the Shriver Center on Poverty Law joins us to discuss Medicaid estate recovery. She breaks down who actually receives Medicaid, why estate recovery is a misleading name for taking the very few assets Medicaid patients leave behind, and the racist stereotypes that led to its creation in the nineties.Guest: Stephanie Altman (@StephanieAltma2) is the Director of Healthcare Justice and Senior Director of Policy at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law. She directs the Shriver Center's work to uncover systemic inequities and create new pathways for opportunity through legislation and systemic changes. She also directs the organization's healthcare advocacy, representing clients in individual and class actions related to healthcare equity and advocating for accessible healthcare through administrative and legislative forums. If you enjoy this show and want to help fight poverty and injustice, consider making a donation to Community Legal Services today! You can also follow us on Twitter @CLSphila to stay connected.How Is That Legal is a podcast from Community Legal Services of Philadelphia and Rowhome Productions. Jake Nussbaum is our Producer and Editor. Executive Producers are Alex Lewis and John Myers. Special thanks to Caitlin Nagel, Zakya Hall, and Molly Pollak. Music provided by Blue Dot Sessions.Support the show

For many Black and Brown homeowners, their dream of homeownership disintegrates into a uniquely American nightmare designed to extract wealth and lock them out of economic mobility. Attorney Rachel Gallegos and Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson join us to discuss racial disparities in homeownership, the bureaucratic saga that unfolds when homeowners pass away, and changes needed to preserve Black and Brown intergenerational wealth. Councilmember Gilmore Richardson also shares her own family's struggle to untangle their titles and save their family homes. Guests: Rachel Gallegos (@RKG80) is a Senior Staff Attorney in the Homeownership and Consumer Rights Unit at Community Legal Services of Philadelphia. Prior to joining CLS, Ms. Gallegos was a law clerk to the Honorable John T. McNeill, III, in the Camden County Superior Court and the Honorable Annette M. Rizzo (Ret.) in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.Katherine Gilmore Richardson (@CouncilwomanKGR) is serving her first term as Councilmember At-Large for the City of Philadelphia. She is the youngest woman ever elected citywide and the youngest African American woman ever elected to the Philadelphia City Council. Councilmember Gilmore Richardson successfully championed legislation to require funeral homes to provide a guide to heirs so they understand their rights and how to keep their family home. If you enjoy this show and want to help fight poverty and injustice, consider making a donation to Community Legal Services today! You can also follow us on Twitter @CLSphila to stay connected. How Is That Legal is a podcast from Community Legal Services of Philadelphia and Rowhome Productions. Jake Nussbaum is our Producer and Editor. Executive Producers are Alex Lewis and John Myers. Special thanks to Caitlin Nagel, Zakya Hall, and Molly Pollak. Music provided by Blue Dot Sessions.Support the show

America's housing system is designed to keep Black women locked out. But eviction records don't tell the whole story. Rasheedah Phillips joins us to discuss the national housing crisis and how systemic racism is embedded in housing policy. She breaks down racial discrimination in rental housing, how eviction records can haunt tenants for life, even if they haven't actually been evicted, and the opaque nature of tenant screening reports. With extensive local and national expertise, Rasheedah examines how and why Black women most often bear the brunt of the many structural inequities in the rental housing market. To solve this crisis, she calls on advocates to center the leadership of the people who are most impacted and then funnel resources to their efforts. Guest: Rasheedah Phillips (@RPhillipsBQF) is Director of Housing at PolicyLink, a national research and action institute advancing racial and economic equity. Rasheedah is also an interdisciplinary afrofuturist artist and cultural producer who has exhibited and performed work globally.If you enjoy this show and want to help fight poverty and injustice, consider making a donation to Community Legal Services today! You can also follow us on Twitter @CLSphila to stay connected. How Is That Legal is a podcast from Community Legal Services of Philadelphia and Rowhome Productions. Jake Nussbaum is our Producer and Editor. Executive Producers are Alex Lewis and John Myers. Special thanks to Caitlin Nagel, Zakya Hall, and Molly Pollak. Music provided by Blue Dot Sessions.Support the show

Alan Dettlaff began his career in social work as a child welfare investigator. So how did he reach the conclusion that social workers must refuse to cooperate with the system altogether? Well, he tried to reduce racial disproportionality within child welfare and foster care for years. In this episode, Dr. Dettlaff shares his research on the unique harms that the family policing system imposes on Black, Latine, immigrant, and LGBTQ+ families, and he breaks down the carceral logic that drives the state to remove children from their parents. Finally, he lays out specific ways policymakers can shift power and resources to families. Guest: Alan Dettlaff (@AlanDettlaff) is Dean of the Graduate College of Social Work at the University of Houston. Dr. Dettlaff's work focuses on addressing and eliminating the impacts of structural and institutional racism on Black children and other children of color impacted by child welfare system intervention. If you enjoy this show and want to help fight poverty and injustice, consider making a donation to Community Legal Services today! You can also follow us on Twitter @CLSphila to stay connected. How Is That Legal is a podcast from Community Legal Services of Philadelphia and Rowhome Productions. Jake Nussbaum is our Producer and Editor. Executive Producers are Alex Lewis and John Myers. Special thanks to Caitlin Nagel, Zakya Hall, and Molly Pollak. Music provided by Blue Dot Sessions.Support the show

The Imprint Weekly Podcast will return with a new episode next week! For this week, we are turning the space over to feature a new podcast created by Community Legal Services of Philadelphia and Rowhome Productions: How Is That Legal? Breaking Down Systemic Racism One Law At A TimeOn each episode of How Is That Legal?,  host Kee Tobar and guests discussing specific ways that systemic racism is present in law and policy. On the episode we feature here today, Kee's guest is April Lee, director of client voice at Community Legal Services of Philadelphia.  April shares the obstacles parents must overcome to avoid losing their children forever and why she believes child welfare cannot meet its own standard of safety for children. You can find How Is That Legal in all the usual places, on Spotify. Apple, etc., and you can visit the show page at https://howisthatlegal.buzzsprout.com.

More than half of Black children experience a child welfare investigation by their eighteenth birthday– almost twice the prevalence for white children. April Lee knows the family surveillance system well. More than eight  years ago, April's three children were removed from her home. Among her family, friends, and community, most people have been through the child welfare system as parents, children, or oftentimes both. Now, she's using her lived experience to help Black and Brown parents reunite with their children and ultimately end the trauma of family separation. April shares the obstacles parents must overcome to avoid losing their children forever and why she believes child welfare cannot meet its own standard of safety for children. Guest: April Lee (@AprilLee215) is the Director of Client Voice at Community Legal Services of Philadelphia. If you enjoy this show and want to help fight poverty and injustice, consider making a donation to Community Legal Services today! You can also follow us on Twitter @CLSphila to stay connected. How Is That Legal is a podcast from Community Legal Services of Philadelphia and Rowhome Productions. Jake Nussbaum is our Producer and Editor. Executive Producers are Alex Lewis and John Myers. Special thanks to Caitlin Nagel, Zakya Hall, and Molly Pollak. Music provided by Blue Dot Sessions.Support the show

More than one in ten Black children in America will be forcibly separated from their parents and placed in foster care by the time they reach age eighteen. Professor Dorothy Roberts joins us to discuss the racialized history of parenting, family autonomy, and the child welfare system. From the role of slavery in framing the Black mother to disastrous 90s legislation rooted in racial stereotypes, Professor Roberts makes the case that child welfare was designed to punish the most disenfranchised communities instead of to protect children. After over thirty years of research, Dr. Roberts concludes that abolition is the only way to end the trauma caused by what she calls family policing. Guest: Dorothy Roberts (@DorothyERoberts) is the George A. Weiss University Professor of Law and Sociology, the Raymond Pace and Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Professor of Civil Rights, and a professor of Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Her newest book, Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families– and How Abolition Can Build a Safer World is available today. If you enjoy this show and want to help fight poverty and injustice, consider making a donation to Community Legal Services today! You can also follow us on Twitter @CLSphila to stay connected. 

Kee Tobar and expert guests break down examples of systemic racism in the law and policy. By the end of each episode, you'll understand the forces behind everyday injustices that make us ask, “How in the world is that legal?” In our first season, How Is That Legal will examine racial disparities in the child welfare system, housing discrimination, Medicaid estate recovery, utility shutoffs, and more.  If you enjoy this show and want to help fight poverty and injustice, consider making a donation to Community Legal Services today! You can also follow us on Twitter @CLSphila to stay connected. How Is That Legal is a podcast from Community Legal Services of Philadelphia and Rowhome Productions. Jake Nussbaum is our Producer and Editor. Executive Producers are Alex Lewis and John Myers. Special thanks to Caitlin Nagel, Zakya Hall, and Molly Pollak. Music provided by Blue Dot Sessions.

How many times have you encountered an injustice that shocked you so much that you wondered, “How in the world could this possibly be legal?” Well, that's exactly why we at Community Legal Services of Philadelphia created our new podcast, How Is That Legal. With help from our host, CLS Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer Kee Tobar, expert guests will break down specific examples of systemic racism in the law and policy and share how we can all work together to build a future free of injustice. As a queer Black woman from a working class background, native southerner, and legal aid attorney, Kee brings a grounded perspective and fierce commitment to dismantling legalized racism to every interview. Airing weekly on Wednesdays. If you enjoy this show and want to help fight poverty and injustice, consider making a donation to Community Legal Services today! You can also follow us on Twitter @CLSphila to stay connected.How Is that Legal is produced by Rowhome Productions. Jake Nussbaum is our Producer and Editor. Executive Producers are Alex Lewis and John Myers. Special thanks to Caitlin Nagel, Zakya Hall, and Molly Pollak. Music provided by Blue Dot Sessions.

There's a lot of talk about budgets in Washington—but budget debates are rarely humanized in ways that people can understand in real life terms. And that's a problem. Because a wide array of critical agencies across the federal government have been getting systematically underfunded over the years, resulting in very real problems for American families. A prime example is the Social Security Administration (SSA)—which oversees retirement, disability, and survivors insurance as well as Supplemental Security Income. Since 2010, SSA's operating budget has been cut by at least 16 percent, adjusting for inflation. Its staffing is down 13 percent, and all while the number of beneficiaries has gone up 21 percent. Why? Because Democrats have failed to get Republicans to join them in increasing SSA's administrative budget, which is so lean already it's just 1 percent of the benefits the agency pays out. What this kind of systematic disinvestment in a key federal agency means in human terms was the subject of a recent congressional hearing held in response to an outcry from constituents across the United States about customer service challenges in accessing Social Security. Hour-plus long waits, dropped calls, and an often simply nonfunctional 1-800 phone line; unconscionable delays for disability determinations that leave thousands dying every year waiting for desperately needed benefits; and a huge problem with overpayments or underpayments that occur through no fault of the beneficiaries because the agency just doesn't have the resources and staffing to process earnings reports on time are just a few examples of how this impacts individuals and families. So for this week's Off-Kilter, Rebecca sat down with two of the other witnesses from that hearing—Bethany Lilly of The Arc and Tracey Gronniger of Justice in Aging—as well as two of the other top experts on the issue: Kathleen Romig of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and Kristen Dama of Community Legal Services, for a look at the human toll of defunding SSA.

There's a lot of talk about budgets in Washington—but budget debates are rarely humanized in ways that people can understand in real life terms. And that's a problem. Because a wide array of critical agencies across the federal government have been getting systematically underfunded over the years, resulting in very real problems for American families.  A prime example is the Social Security Administration (SSA)—which oversees retirement, disability, and survivors insurance as well as Supplemental Security Income. Since 2010, SSA's operating budget has been cut by at least 16 percent, adjusting for inflation. Its staffing is down 13 percent, and all while the number of beneficiaries has gone up 21 percent. Why? Because Democrats have failed to get Republicans to join them in increasing SSA's administrative budget, which is so lean already it's just 1 percent of the benefits the agency pays out.  What this kind of systematic disinvestment in a key federal agency means in human terms was the subject of a recent congressional hearing held in response to an outcry from constituents across the United States about customer service challenges in accessing Social Security.  Hour-plus long waits, dropped calls, and an often simply nonfunctional 1-800 phone line; unconscionable delays for disability determinations that leave thousands dying every year waiting for desperately needed benefits; and a huge problem with overpayments or underpayments that occur through no fault of the beneficiaries because the agency just doesn't have the resources and staffing to process earnings reports on time are just a few examples of how this impacts individuals and families.  So for this week's Off-Kilter, Rebecca sat down with two of the other witnesses from that hearing—Bethany Lilly of The Arc and Tracey Gronniger of Justice in Aging—as well as two of the other top experts on the issue: Kathleen Romig of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and Kristen Dama of Community Legal Services, for a look at the human toll of defunding SSA. For more: Read Kathleen's new piece on SSA's funding crisis Read Rebecca's, Bethany's, and Tracey's testimony from last week's House Ways and Means Committee hearing Follow @kathleenromig; @bethanylilly; @traceythomgron; @kristendama on Twitter 

Following decades of failed tough-on-crime policies in the United States, between 70 million and 100 million Americans now have some type of criminal record, standing in the way of basics like jobs and housing for a huge swath of the nation's citizens. But a policy that's been gaining bipartisan steam in the states over the past five years, known as “Clean Slate,” has started to chip away at that gargantuan figure, by enabling people to have eligible records automatically wiped after they remain crime-free. In a special episode of Off-Kilter recorded at the Clean Slate Initiative's first annual convening in Detroit, Rebecca sat down with several of the leaders in the Clean Slate movement to talk recent wins in the states, how people's lives are being changed for the better, and the road ahead for criminal record-clearing with tough-on-crime rhetoric on the rise.  This episode's guests: Sheena Meade, managing director of the Clean Slate Initiative; Sharon Dietrich, litigation director at Community Legal Services in Philadelphia; Noella Sudbury, executive director of Clean Slate Utah; Josh Hoe, policy analyst at Safe and Just Michigan; and Zaki Smith, one of the leaders of the Clean Slate New York campaign. For more: Learn more about and get involved with the Clean Slate Initiative at cleanslateinitiative.org Here's a deeper dive on the rise of automatic record-clearing Learn more about Clean Slate PA, Clean Slate Utah, and Clean Slate Michigan Learn more about Zaki's mural campaign for second chances

Following decades of failed tough-on-crime policies in the United States, between 70 million and 100 million Americans now have some type of criminal record, standing in the way of basics like jobs and housing for a huge swath of the nation's citizens. But a policy that's been gaining bipartisan steam in the states over the past five years, known as “Clean Slate,” has started to chip away at that gargantuan figure, by enabling people to have eligible records automatically wiped after they remain crime-free. In a special episode of Off-Kilter recorded at the Clean Slate Initiative's first annual convening in Detroit, Rebecca sat down with several of the leaders in the Clean Slate movement to talk recent wins in the states, how people's lives are being changed for the better, and the road ahead for criminal record-clearing with tough-on-crime rhetoric on the rise. This episode's guests: Sheena Meade, managing director of the Clean Slate Initiative; Sharon Dietrich, litigation director at Community Legal Services in Philadelphia; Noella Sudbury, executive director of Clean Slate Utah; Josh Hoe, policy analyst at Safe and Just Michigan; and Zaki Smith, one of the leaders of the Clean Slate New York campaign. For more: Learn more about and get involved with the Clean Slate Initiative at cleanslateinitiative.org Here's a deeper dive on the rise of automatic record-clearing Learn more about Clean Slate PA, Clean Slate Utah, and Clean Slate Michigan Learn more about Zaki's mural campaign for second chances